DVD previews: 'Birdman,' 'Theory of Everything'

Here's a look at DVDs coming out Tuesday, Feb. 17:

“Birdman” (R, 119 minutes, Fox): This film tops the Oscar nominations with nine, including Best Picture, Actor and Director. It already has Golden Globes for Michael Keaton, in the title role, and screenplay, and a SAG award for the ensemble cast. Narcissism, ambition, insecurity and the wages of celebrity are addressed in one fell swoop in “Birdman,” which writer-director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and his longtime cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, have filmed to resemble one long, unbroken take — a stunt that results in a film of delicate, even balletic, grace and one that poetically captures aging actor Riggan Thomson's own state of mind. Once a superstar, now human scale but still tuned in, hyper-aware, Thomson (Keaton) moves through the world on a different frequency than his peers, or so he thinks. He walks the boards and Broadway streets like a hungry ghost, searching for the potency his cartoonish persona once conferred, while simultaneously trying to escape the culture of pandering and cynicism he helped to create. Contains sexual situations and violence. Extras include a gallery of rare on-set photos. Also, on Blu-ray: interviews and a backstage peak from the cast and crew.

“The Theory of Everything” (PG-13, 123 minutes, Universal): “The Theory of Everything,” a stirring if conveniently cosmeticized portrait of physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife, Jane, drew five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Eddie Redmayne) and Best Actress (Felicity Jones). This handsome, ultimately very moving drama winds up subtly upending as many genre conventions as it obeys. Based on Jane Hawking's memoir “Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen,” the biopic doesn't dwell too long on Hawking's most famous intellectual achievements. Instead, filmmaker James Marsh has created an affecting meditation on marriage, specifically how Hawking's affliction with a brutally degenerative disease and Jane's mostly unflinching support resulted in a relationship that, while far from ideal, bears celebrating. Contains thematic elements and suggestive material. Extras include commentary, deleted scenes and a “Becoming the Hawkings” featurette.

“The Interview” (R, 112 minutes, Sony): This genial, occasionally incisive, generally lackadaisical comedy about a dunderheaded journalist tasked with assassinating Kim Jong Un is aimed squarely at fans of the lowbrow humor perfected by Seth Rogen and his frequent collaborator James Franco. That “The Interview” landed amid the brouhaha of a hacking scandal, geopolitical crisis and First Amendment case study is as improbable as one of Rogen and Franco's absurd plots. As it turns out, the satire isn't nearly as sharp or politically pointed as the kerfuffle suggested. But Rogen and Evan Goldberg — who codirected “The Interview” from a script that they wrote with Dan Sterling — make some germane points about life in North Korea and the repressive leadership of the Kim dynasty. Contains language, sexual situations, nudity, drug use and violence. Extras: commentary and a Discovery Channel special featuring Rogen and Franco. Also, on Blu-ray: gag reel; deleted, extended and alternate scenes; eight featurettes and more.

“Dumb and Dumber To” (PG-13, 109 minutes, Universal): Like the original 1994 “Dumb and Dumber,” the 20th anniversary sequel “Dumb and Dumber To” involves a transcontinental road trip with dim-bulb buddies Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. And yet despite scenes taking place in Rhode Island, Maryland, Kansas, Texas and spots in between, the story rarely turns its attention away from a region of a few square inches. With the persistence of an annoying brat hammering away on your front door, the film relentlessly focuses on the human body's locus of excretory and sexual functioning. Contains sexual situations, language, nudity and drug use. Extras include a featurette. Also, on Blu-ray: a making-of featurette, deleted/extended scenes and a gag reel.

“St. Vincent” (PG-13, 102 minutes, The Weinstein Company): Bill Murray musters every ounce of goodwill that he's earned as a lovably gonzo free spirit in “St. Vincent,” in which he plays a grouchy, alcoholic ne'er-do-well who hires out to baby-sit the 12-year-old son of his new neighbor (Plainfield native Melissa McCarthy). “St. Vincent” faithfully follows every trope and cliché of the ingratiating kid-and-curmudgeon genre. Throw in a hooker with a heart of gold (Naomi Watts), a wisecracking Catholic schoolteacher (Chris O'Dowd) and some touching surprises in Vincent's back story, and writer-director Ted Melfi hits a trifecta, shamelessly soliciting laughter, tears and sentimental sighs. But it's hard to stay mad at “St. Vincent” for long, mostly because the performances are consistently appealing. Contains language, thematic material and sexual situations. Extras include deleted scenes and a Q&A with Murray.

Also: “The Homesman,” “Life Itself” (documentary), “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” (animated, Japan), “Dying of the Light,” “Hollywood Chaos,” “Skating to New York,” “No Tears for the Dead” (South Korea), “An Autumn Afternoon” (1962), “Animal,” “Gladiators of Rome” (animated, Italy), “Malignant,” “V/H/S: Viral,” “The Sixties” (documentary) and “Easter Family Fun Pack.”

Television series: “Game of Thrones: Fourth Season,” “Wahlburgers: Second Season,” “The Chair” and “Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness.”